


When the Golden Sun Arises

by defragmentise (croixsouillees), spirithorse



Series: Kingmaker [7]
Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, past mentions of m-preg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-17 21:25:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13667586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/croixsouillees/pseuds/defragmentise, https://archiveofourown.org/users/spirithorse/pseuds/spirithorse
Summary: I felt Sorey needed more closure afterAll Glory Ends in Nightbut the fic had run itself to a close. The only thing to do was write something about it. This takes place afterAll Glory Ends in Night,so please read that first. Title taken fromNever Forgetby Gréta Salóme, which was the song that inspired this whole monster of a fic in the first place.





	When the Golden Sun Arises

**Author's Note:**

> I felt Sorey needed more closure after _All Glory Ends in Night_ but the fic had run itself to a close. The only thing to do was write something about it. This takes place after _All Glory Ends in Night, _so please read that first. Title taken from _Never Forget_ by Gréta Salóme, which was the song that inspired this whole monster of a fic in the first place.__

“All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.”  
 - _Watership Down_ , Richard Adams

* * *

 

Prisca stared at the dragon crouched at one end of the cave, clutching the weapons close to her chest. She felt her breath catch in her throat, Prisca feeling like there were weights on her chest. Part of it was from the malevolence coming from the dragon, but the other part came from the prone figure sprawled at the dragon’s talons. She pressed the weapons more tightly against her, staring at Vasco where he was lying unconscious.

What she wanted to do was rush forward and grab her brother, but that meant that she would drop the weapons. Prisca was sure that the noise would snap the dragon out of its stillness, and that would definitely kill Vasco. Prisca sucked in a quick breath, trying to keep herself from shaking. Vasco was her little brother, he was only fifteen. He was only with her because she had thought it was the safest place for him. With their parents gone, right beside the Shepherd would be the best place for him to be. But it had brought him to the feet of a dragon.

Prisca swallowed, turning her head to look wide eyed at Ila. The Prime Lord shook her head, looking shaky. It wasn’t comforting that Ila looked so out of her depth, because Prisca didn’t know what to do.

She knew a little about dragons, just what Ila had told her. They couldn’t be purified and they were extremely dangerous, but that didn’t help her. She needed to get her brother away from the dragon before the creature decided that it was done looking around.

She looked down at the weapons in her arms, staring at the runes on them. They were horrifying things, something that Prisca had thought were just something out of legends, something that she would never have to see in her life. There had always been stories about people finding the old weapons and Shepherd Gloria had taught her the words of unbinding just in case. But she had said that no one had found any weapons in years. Prisca had never expected to stumble on a cache, or for the first one she attempted to open out of a sense of desperation to immediately become a dragon.

Prisca bit her lip, staring at the weapons in the hope that something would come out of them, but there was nothing. She hadn’t expected anything, but she was desperate. She done what Gloria had said and called for the Great Lord to support her, but that was before Prisca had gotten impatient. She was a Shepherd after all, and her job wasn’t to leave seraphim suffering from malevolence. She had thought that it wouldn’t be hard, because all she had to do was free the seraphim. But she had been wrong.

“I-Ila.” Her voice shook over her Prime Lord’s name. Prisca didn’t know what else she could ask, because all the questions were clogging up at the back of her throat.

To her relief, Ila reached out to touch her shoulder, but the relief didn’t last long. She glanced over to see the panicked look on Ila’s face and felt her heart sink. She reached up to grab onto Ila’s hand, not caring that the weapons clattered to the ground. “It’s _Vasco_.”

Ila opened her mouth to respond, but whatever she was going to say was overwhelmed by a loud roar. The seraph flinched away, Prisca biting her lip to keep from screaming. She reached back to fumble with the short bow she had slung over her shoulder.

Her fingers knocked against the top of the bow, Prisca twisting as she tried to get a better hold of it. The motion seemed to just encourage the dragon Prisca’s fingers going slack as the creature stumbled forward with a louder roar.

She wasn’t sure if she screamed, it wouldn’t have mattered because the sound was lost completely in the echo of the roar. Prisca didn’t bother to watch the dragon’s head, her focus was on its feet.

It lifted one foot just skimming over Vasco’s back before the dragon set its foot down. Prisca felt her breath leave her on a sob, wanting to do nothing else but rush forward to grab her little brother before he was in danger again, but that would mean getting past the dragon.

Prisca tipped her head up, intending to look away from her brother only for a moment, but then she realized the dragon was far closer than she realized. She leaned back, catching the dragon’s eye and freezing.

These were the creatures of legend, the things that populated nightmares. Everyone knew them. Tollak, who had raged through the outer islands until some of them were reduced to ashes. Rushlan, who had laid waste to Pendrago back when it had been Logres. And then there had been the Great Lord Mikleo, back when he had been younger and with the last emperor of Rolance. Of course, the latter had never been a dragon, only a drake. That didn’t mean he hadn’t acted like one. He’d spread destruction and chaos in his wake until he was purified. She wouldn’t get that kind of reprieve with this dragon.

She swallowed and reached back for her bow again, trying to pull it over her shoulder as the dragon regarded her. Prisca felt a shiver run down her spine. It was waiting and she couldn’t figure out why. Prisca wasn’t sure if she should strike before the dragon decided what to do about her or keep still a while longer.

A glance at Ila decided her. The seraph was gesturing desperately at her, Prisca giving her a short nod before sucking in a quick breath. “Awsc-”

The dragon lunged before she could finish the name. Prisca threw herself to one side, curling herself in a ball as the dragon passed overhead. She pressed her hands against the back of her neck, breathing heavily as she heard the dragon yelp. It must have hit the wall of the cave, which made her heart beat faster. There was an advantage there, if she could move fast enough to take it.

Prisca clambered to her feet, reaching out for Ila even as the seraph peered out from around the rock she had ducked behind. Ila took a few stumbling steps forward before tensing. Prisca twisted, fully expecting to see the dragon coming after them again, but it was still trying to recover where it had fetched up awkwardly against a wall. She turned her head, freezing when she spotted a seraph standing in the mouth of the cave.

She licked her lips, dropping her arm back to her side. She didn’t know the proper protocol for something like this. The Great Lords were more involved than the ones before according to all the seraphim she had talked to, but they were still distant figures. The only time she had seen all five of them in one place was when she had been made a Shepherd. Prisca had known that it was what was done to call in a Great Lord if seraphic weapons were found, but she had never really thought about what had happened when he arrived. She had been too impatient to focus on that.

She swallowed, about to say something when Ila dropped into a partial bow. “Great Lord, I-”

Ila went silent as the Great Lord held up his hand. Prisca was sure that she had the same shocked expression on her face. It didn’t help when the Great Lord smiled, Prisca shocked by the gentleness on his face. He’d never seemed too distant the one time she had met him before, but she had disobeyed his orders and there was a dragon because of it.

He looked between the two of them, Prisca sucking in a breath when his gaze jumped to where Vasco was. It was temping to look behind her to check up on her brother, but it was impossible to look away.

The Great Lord radiated power. It was an aura that she had never felt from a seraph, and it was confusing because it wasn’t like another seraph. The earth always rumbled slightly behind Ila as she walked, like it was reaching out for her. Prisca had traveled with Gloria and her Prime Lord Lailah, and the air had always been slightly warmer around her. It was something that happened around all seraphim. But there was nothing around the Great Lord, just power and it made her feel like something was missing.

Prisca shivered and took a deep breath, about to try explaining things to him again when the Great Lord moved forward. She watched him move towards the dragon, wanting to reach out and grab him back, but she didn’t dare. That might be going too far. That didn’t stop her from jerking forward and then snatching her hands back as the Great Lord moved towards the dragon.

The dragon twisted to look at him, the low growl it made echoing around the cave. It was enough to make her shiver, but the Great Lord stood firm. He just looked up at the dragon, Prisca’s eyes widening at the sight of sorrow on his face. She had expected pity or sadness because a seraph would have to die, but this was something deeper.

He reached up towards the dragon, his hand hovering dangerously close to the dragon’s snout. Prisca heard Ila squeak, but she couldn’t look away from the Great Lord as he stood there, staring at the dragon.

“I’m sorry.” His words shocked her, Prisca turning completely to face him as the Great Lord continued talking to the dragon. “I should have found all of you all sooner. I should have tried harder and I’m sorry for that. You and the others have been trapped in there for centuries. It’s no wonder that…”

He trailed off with a shake of his head. He turned his hand up, silver fire flickering to life in his palm. The dragon hissed at the sight of it, shuffling backwards. The Great Lord didn’t follow, remaining where he was. He kept still, watching the dragon patiently.

“I know how it feels, how heavy it can be. It made me want to sleep, but I think you’re more like Mikleo. It’s all anger and rage, isn’t it? And you don’t even know who you are anymore. I’m sorry about that too. I wish there was another way to do this, but there isn’t. I’ve looked everywhere I could to make sure that this wouldn’t need to happen. I failed a lot of people before, and I wasn’t going to let it happen again. But that won’t stop me, because you’ll hurt people and there’s nothing worse than becoming a monster. I know, I’ve been there.” He paused to take a deep breath, Prisca unsure of the shake in his shoulders. He didn’t linger on it long, Prisca watching as he straightened his back. “Rest well.”

The flame in his palm flickered out, Prisca feeling the hair rise at the back of her neck. She took a step back, feeling something gather around her. For a moment, she thought it was malevolence, because it felt heavily like it.

She threw a worried glance at Ila, expecting to see the seraph in pain, but she saw nothing but awe on her Prime Lord’s face. It was only when she saw Ila’s expression that Prisca realized what she was actually feeling.

She hadn’t felt the Great Lord’s aura because it was too large, she was only feeling it now because he was pulling energy in for an arte and it was awe inspiring at the same time it was terrifying.

Prisca jumped at a rumble of thunder from outside, sucking it a quick breath as she felt a shock run through her body. She glanced down at her arms, watching at the hair on them stood up. She took a deep breath, looking back up as the dragon growled.

It no longer looked baffled by what was going on, it looked like it was ready to attack. It opened its wings, flaring them wide. It wouldn’t be able to fly in the small cave, but the dragon looked bigger now.

The attempt at intimidation did nothing, the Great Lord starting the dragon down before his hand dropped to the sword by his side. Prisca watched as he pulled it out, confused when she couldn’t see the shine of metal in the line. Instead, it looked dull and its surface was covered with the meandering lines and circles that she was used to seeing on Shepherds’ cloaks.

He turned the sword in his hand, looking at the dragon. Then, he was in motion, stepping forward as the dragon lunged at him.

Prisca leaned forward, a shout of warning dying out in her throat as a bright flare of light. She hissed and turned her head, shielding her eyes. It didn’t help as much because she could still see it with her eyes closed. Prisca flinched back, turning her head away as the light shone bright. She thought she heard the crackle of flame but, when she opened her eyes, there was nothing there.

She rubbed at her eyes, looking around for the dragon. She couldn’t see it anywhere, just a lone bubble of red floating higher into the cavern. Prisca stared after it, her mouth dropping open as the orb shattered into little tongues of flame. They danced in the air for a moment before disappearing, Prisca searching around for them. She breathed out slowly, turning to look at Ila.

The seraph shook her head, reaching up to grab for her hand. Prisca squeezed Ila’s hand tight, dropping her gaze to where the Great Lord was crouching by her brother. He looked over Vasco before resting a hand on his back. There was a soft flare of light, and then Vasco was groaning and moving carefully. The Great Lord spoke to him softly, Vasco looking groggily up at him before starting to sit up.

The Great Lord hovered by him for a moment before walking back towards them. Prisca could only stare as he approached, only remembering herself when he bent over to look at the weapons that she had dropped on the floor.

“Uh Great Lord, I-”

“Are you alright?”

His question caught her off guard, Prisca nodding slowly. That seemed to be enough for him, because he sighed and stood up straight again. “Good. Then it might be best for the two of you to take your Squire back. He’s good, but he’ll be a little shaky. And the people of the village should be told that the dragon is taken care of. They were worrying when I came up because they could hear it.”

“O-of course.” Prisca nodded, hesitating between bowing properly or just turning around. She was relieved when the Great Lord made a gentle shooing motion. Even then, it took a light tug from Ila to get her moving.

Prisca moved away from him at a shuffle, turning to look over her shoulder as the Great Lord crouched by the weapons. She watched as he looked them over before turning her attention to her brother, trying to get herself calm again. Vasco looked like he was confused about what was happening and he would need her to calm him down. And then there were the villagers…

She took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders, feeling the weight of the cloak over her shoulders.

* * *

Mikleo kept one eye on the boys as he worked, Zenrus and Gareth pouring over an atlas. Mikleo was sure that Zenrus had finished his homework hours before but that hadn’t stopped them from continuing to pour over the atlas. They were tracking Selene through the letters she would send home. He was surprised that he hadn’t been bombarded with questions about when Muse was coming home. It had been a favorite question for months now. Then again, Mikleo was surprised that they hadn’t asked about Sorey yet.

He sighed and looked back at the surface of his desk. It was a mess of books and his own notebooks. Mikleo frowned at his own handwriting, shaking his head.

He was going to have to take a break soon, just to keep his handwriting from dissolving into unreadable nonsense. Besides, it was practically time to start trying to coax Gareth into something like rest. Mikleo raised an eyebrow as Gareth yawned. It was getting to the point where Gareth wouldn’t need to sleep anymore, but he’d been keeping the boys busy to try and keep them from thinking about how quiet the house was with Sorey and Muse gone. It was as much of a distraction for him as it was the boys.

It had been a long time since Sorey had been called out like this, and it made him nervous. He had thought they had seen the end of the seraphic weapons centuries ago, even before Sorey had come back. A few stragglers had popped up through the years and they never failed to worry him. No one had tried to use the seraphim as tools, but that didn’t make the worry go away, not when three of his family were out there. Selene was out with her Shepherd, Muse was probably on her way back from her research trip in Pendrago and Sorey was out in the thick of things.

Mikleo swallowed and leaned forward, propping up his head on his hand. He looked down at his notebook, staring at the lines of words. They weren’t making sense to him, Mikleo shutting his eyes as he took a few deep breaths. He was just overthinking things, and it wouldn’t do him any good. It wouldn’t do the boys any good.

He sighed and opened his eyes. He pushed away from his desk, turning to look at his sons. Gareth was still completely focused on the atlas, but Zenrus was sitting back with a serious look on his face. Mikleo winced at the expression, wanting to be able to say something that would wipe it off Zenrus’ face. He doubted that anything he said would work, especially since he was sure that Zenrus had overheard the conversation that had sent Sorey off. It was easy to forget that Zenrus wasn’t as young as he looked.

Mikleo stood up, watching as Zenrus turned to look at him. It took a moment, but Zenrus smiled at him, crowding close to Gareth in an open invitation. Mikleo smiled back, picking his way through the toys and books strewn over the floor. He shot the pile an annoyed look, mentally adding cleaning it up to his to do list. Most of it was his mess, piles of books that he had taken out of the library when he had first jumped into the project of trying to catalogue the miniature museum that had been set up in their home over the years.

Now that Kylfe-on-the-Mountain had grown from a small village into a thriving town, the idea of a museum had come up, especially since the town had the honor of being the first place that humans and seraphim had lived together after the Long War. It was just a matter of figuring out where to put it. Mikleo had heard rumors of converting the ruins on the mountain into a museum, but they had been stifled quickly. Mikleo couldn’t imagine anyone managing to make the ruins safe for all the people that would come through to look at them as a museum. It was far easier to have guides leading people through the ruins, and far safer.

He shook his head at his mess, crushing the thought that it had been much more fun when Sorey had been working with him. He wasn’t going to start moping over something like that, especially when he knew the real reason. He was just not enjoying doing all of it by himself. Every time he’d done something like this he’d had Selene or, more recently, Sorey and Muse to work with him. It didn’t feel right without someone working by his side.

Mikleo sighed and crouched down by the boys, about to settle down when there was a spark of a presence. Mikleo turned to look at the door, barely having the time to get up before Gareth was charging for the door.

“PAPA!”

Zenrus was quicker to get to his feet than Mikleo, laughing as he chased after his brother. Mikleo got to his feet again, watching as they disappeared out into the foyer. He sighed and went after them, not bothering to shout after them that it just meant that Sorey was entering the outskirts of the town, the two of them were too excited. He was excited as well, it had been strangely lonely with just the three of them.

Mikleo caught the front door as it started to swing shut. He slipped through, letting it shut behind him as he stepped onto the porch. He turned his head to look down towards the town, seeing the glitter of street lights in the distance.

The town had never expanded up to the boundaries of Camlann, not even when Mikleo had cleared the rubble from the landslide and taken down the rest of the old houses. Mikleo had never bothered to mark where the limits of Camlann were, but the humans seemed to have figured it out. It wasn’t like they were afraid of the old village, they were more than happy to walk through or stop by to talk to him. They often went through Camlann to the shrine, but they never stayed.

He leaned against a post, watching as Gareth stumbled down the steps to stand out in the middle of the street. Zenrus was a few steps behind him, staring out into the darkness. The two of them peered down the road, looking like they were perfectly happy to stand watch until Sorey made his way through the town. Mikleo sighed and looked up at the sky, the corner of his mouth twitching up. Considering how late it was, Sorey might not get stopped along the way, which meant that he would be home sooner.

Mikleo reached up to play with the ornament in his hair, using the familiar motion to calm himself down. He traced out the shape of the jewels at the base of the feathers, stopping the motion when he saw someone stumbling up the road.

He took a step forward, his heart beating faster. Mikleo stepped down from the porch, already behind the boys as they bolted forward.

The two of them had to cross most of the distance because Sorey didn’t speed up. He did duck down to scoop Gareth up, tucking him against his hip. Zenrus was quick to claim Sorey’s other side, tucking himself there as the three of them made their way back.

Mikleo sighed, some of the worry in him unwinding at the sight of them. It wasn’t their whole family, but it was something like it should be. Better still, it meant that Sorey was safe, not that he expected otherwise.

After nearly eight hundred years Mikleo couldn’t think of anyone who would try to use the seraphic weapons. The sting of the war might have been forgotten by the people, but not by the seraphim. He and the rest of the Great Lords were ever vigilant for any signs that the humans were thinking about using the seraphim as weapons. The question had come up a few times in the different governments that had controlled the kingdom, and Mikleo was always relieved that the humans continued to be appalled by the idea. Still, that wasn’t enough to keep him from worrying. Even if no one was using the old weapons, that didn’t meant that they weren’t dangerous. Mikleo had experienced what could happen when the seraphim were freed, how frightened and disoriented they were. It was a relief that nothing horrible had happened.

He took another step forward as Sorey got close, the smile on his face wavering when he saw the expression on Sorey’s face.

Sorey was exhausted, looking like he was standing up only through force of will alone. Mikleo bit his lip, reaching out to cup Sorey’s cheek. Sorey immediately turned his head into Mikleo’s palm, but that wasn’t enough to hide his exhaustion.

It was something that Mikleo had seen before, back when Sorey had been learning to handle the powers that he had come back with and even longer before that, when it had been the two of them running from Alisha, Sergei and Rose. It was a deep exhaustion, one enough to make Mikleo shiver.

Sorey must have felt it, because he shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

“Sorey…” Mikleo sighed when Sorey looked away, taking it as the final world on the subject. He wouldn’t push, not when Sorey looked like he was about to fall asleep on his feet. There would always be time to talk with Sorey after he had rested.

Mikleo dragged his fingers over Sorey’s cheek, smiling when Sorey kissed the tips of his fingers. He couldn’t keep himself from moving his hand back to brush the back of his fingers over Sorey’s cheek. “Let’s get you to bed.”

He was sure that he didn’t imagine Sorey’s grateful sigh. Mikleo smiled at him before reaching down with his free hand to rest it on Zenrus’ head. Zenrus glanced up at him, hugging Sorey’s leg for a moment longer before stepping away so Sorey could walk. He drifted to Mikleo’s side, Mikleo quick to drop an arm around his shoulders. Mikleo held him close as Sorey shuffled past, rubbing his shoulders. He heard Zenrus make a soft sound, looking down at the young seraph. “Don’t worry, he’s fine.”

Zenrus nodded, although he didn’t look up at him, his gaze still focused on Sorey. “It must have been a lot.”

“But it’s taken care of.” Mikleo tried to keep his voice steady, because he was sure that Zenrus would pick up on it otherwise. Besides, he didn’t doubt Sorey had finished what he had been called for, he wouldn’t have come home nor be as exhausted as he was if he hadn’t. It was still enough to make him sigh, because Sorey hadn’t changed, even when he had come back as a seraph.

He looked back down at Zenrus, sure that the boy didn’t believe him from the look that he was given. Mikleo shook his head, looking back at where Sorey was walking into the house. He was sure that Sorey would head right to their room, and that he would be out for a while. It meant that Sorey would be close, but the worry would still be there. When he had gotten the news that Sorey was needed he had thought that it wouldn’t be anything big, certainly not enough to exhaust him like this.

If it had been that bad, maybe it was something worth worrying about or even bringing up to the rest of the Great Lords when they arrived in a few days. It could be nothing, or it could be the start of something dangerous and they couldn’t let it pass without comment.

Mikleo tightened his hold on Zenrus, stopping when he felt Zenrus grab his hand. He looked down, offering Zenrus a smile. “Sorry.”

“You’re worried.” Zenrus looked up at him with wide eyes, Mikleo immediately feeling bad. Zenrus might be older than he looked, but there was no reason to get him involved in anything.

Mikleo sighed and nodded. “I always am. Your father can go a bit overboard.”

Zenrus nodded slowly, squeezing Mikleo’s hand. “He’s alright now?”

“Yes, he’ll be fine. After a nap.” Mikleo glanced up at Sorey, feeling the familiar urge to trail after him and make sure he was alright. He wouldn’t put it past Sorey to hide something minor just to keep them all from worrying. Even if nothing was wrong, he wanted to curl around Sorey while he slept, just to hold him close. But he had other responsibilities, things he couldn’t just ignore for however long Sorey slept. And, considering how exhausted he looked, there was no telling when that would be.

Mikleo squared his shoulders, squeezing Zenrus’ hand. “Come on, Gareth is probably just as ready to sleep as your father is.”

“And then what?”

Mikleo hummed, starting back towards the house. Zenrus stuck close to him, Mikleo getting the feeling that both boys would be keeping close to his side until Sorey woke up, or until there was a bigger distraction, whichever one came first.

He pretended to be thinking things over until they got up onto the porch. “You could help me clean up the main room.”

Zenrus gave him a skeptical look, seriously considering him for a moment before sighing. “But I didn’t make _that_ mess.”

“Then maybe you can help me identify all the stuff you guys have found.”

Zenrus nodded, seemingly satisfied by the answer. He picked up his pace, Mikleo following him into the house. At least the job of identifying the objects would keep them both distracted and Mikleo was more than willing to indulge in a distraction until Sorey woke up again.

* * *

Sorey woke up slowly, taking a moment to catalogue what was going on around him.

It was a strange sensation to have to wake up, Sorey couldn’t remember what it had felt like when he was human. He just knew that it was disorienting, especially the way that he seemed to keep doing it. He usually pushed himself until he couldn’t go any further and then he collapsed, mostly because he forgot. It had been a long time since he had drained himself so completely. Sorey had thought he had gotten better about conserving his energy or at least using it more efficiently.

Then again, it had been a while since he had to take care of a dragon.

He sighed and nuzzled back into the pillow, smiling at the scent of wet earth and rain. It was faint, meaning that Mikleo hadn’t been in the room in a while, at least not sleeping. That wasn’t strange in itself, Mikleo always worried when he went out on his own.

Sorey frowned, opening his eyes at the thought. He didn’t remember having much of a conversation with Mikleo when he had come back. Sorey scanned the wall in front of him, slowly piecing together what he had missed in his exhaustion.

It was obvious that he had made it back to their room, but it was equally as obvious that Mikleo wasn’t with him. That in itself wasn’t a strange thing. Mikleo would sometimes start a nap with him and then return to curl around him by the time he woke up. But it wasn’t too strange to find Mikleo coming into the room as soon as he realized that Sorey was awake.

Sorey rolled partially to one side, glancing at the door to the room. He didn’t get to look long because he heard a soft sigh, Sorey looked back down with a smile.

Gareth was curled up against him, almost completely tucked into a ball, with one hand clutching into his shirt. Sorey reached down to run his hand over Gareth’s back, watching as the young seraph yawned wide.

For a moment he was sure that Gareth was going to settle back into sleep, which wouldn’t be surprising. Gareth was bound to have been running nonstop once he had gone away, so it was no wonder that he had worn himself out.

Sorey paused to run his fingers through Gareth’s hair, searching for any outward signs of Gareth coming into his element. Zenrus had started to develop the white at the end of his hair around Gareth’s age and he’d heard that Selene had done the same. Muse had been the latest of them, but she had started coming into her element by taking long naps. For all he knew, Gareth could be ready to start coming into his element, although he couldn’t be sure. According to Natalie and Melody, the whole thing was a bit of a mystery.

Nothing had changed that he could see, but Sorey was sure that Gareth was tired. They had been busy before he had gone off to investigate and he was sure that Mikleo had kept going. Gareth wouldn’t have been working on the catalogue, but he would have been helping with the ceremony and celebration that would be happening.

Sorey sighed and slumped back against the pillows, tempted to close his eyes and sleep again. Technically he wasn’t need to grant the powers of purification, at least not this time around. There were only two humans being raised to become Shepherds, and there were two already made Prime Lords available. His place was purely ceremonial, but he was sure that some of the humans expected some kind of show.

He ran his hand down his face. It wasn’t that he wasn’t up to it, he could feel the energy he had recovered pulsing through his body; it was more that he just wanted to spend a day curled up with Mikleo and the boys. He always wanted to be close to his family when he came back from these trips. It made him feel better about what he had just finished doing.

No one had tried to use the seraphim like that since he had died, but he couldn’t quite shake the fear.

He curled around Gareth, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. He heard Gareth mutter something in his sleep, Sorey smiling to himself.

Nothing had happened to his family while he was gone. Mikleo wouldn’t have let anything happen. He was sure that most people would think twice about messing with a Great Lord, especially Mikleo. All of the people alive might know him as a Great Lord, but Sorey had heard enough to know that the stories of him as a drake were still alive and well.

He shook his head, propping himself up on his elbow. Lying in bed fretting over things wouldn’t help him. He wanted to check in with Mikleo and see what was happening. Muse was due back from her trip to Pendrago soon and Selene would be coming down with her Shepherd to attend the ceremony.

Sorey went to roll away when he felt a tug on his shirt. He looked down, expecting to see Gareth still asleep but the boy was looking up at him, blinking sleepily at him. “Papa?”

“Good morning to you, sleepy head.” Sorey wrapped an arm around him and rolled onto his back, pulling Gareth up onto his chest. Gareth giggled and nuzzled closer.

Gareth stayed there for a minute before resting his chin on Sorey’s chest. “I was waiting for you to wake up.”

“That must have been boring.”

Gareth shook his head. “Uncle Eizen says that seraphim must have infinite patience.” Gareth sounded his way through ‘infinite’ his face screwing up for a moment before he shook his head. “Besides, I wanted to make sure you woke up in time for the celebration. It wouldn’t be as fun without you.”

“You didn’t have to wait. I would have woken up.”

Gareth gave him a look that said he didn’t quite believe him. Sorey didn’t blame him considering his track record. It had been earlier days, but he remembered sleeping for a week. Mikleo had been there when he had woken up too, with almost the same excuses and just as much worry.

Sorey sat up slowly, letting Gareth slid into his lap. The boy giggled as he got situated, looking up at Sorey backwards. Sorey grinned down at him, leaning over him slightly. “Well, I’m awake now. Don’t you think we should get moving?”

Gareth nodded, raising his hands in an obvious plea to be held. Sorey chuckled and carefully slid out around him. He stepped out of bed, turning around just in time for Gareth to launch himself at him.

Sorey grunted as he took Gareth’s weight, moving to hold him securely. Gareth was still laughing, one hand reaching up to grab onto Sorey’s shoulder. “Let’s go! Everyone is probably waiting for us.”

“Everyone?”

He was quick to nod. “Everyone was coming in over the past few days, the Shepherds, the Great Lords. Everyone!” He emphasized the last word with a sweep of his arms that almost toppled him out of Sorey’s arms. Sorey stumbled forward to keep from dropping him, Gareth not even seeming to notice. He just beamed up with him, his green eyes sparkling. “They’re all talking about the ceremony tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow!” Sorey stared down at Gareth, his heart pounding. He’d thought he’d have more time or that someone would wake up him sooner. He wasn’t essential to the ceremony, but he would have to be there. Everyone was expecting him and there were things he hadn’t been over in years.

Sorey looked up at a soft chuckle, sighing when he saw Mikleo leaning in the doorway. Mikleo gave him a lazy smile back, lifting his hand in a wave. Sorey would have returned it, but Gareth was taking up all of his attention.

Gareth bounced in his arms, practically launching himself out of them as he tried to reach for Mikleo. “Dad! Look, he’s awake.”

“I can see that.” Mikleo reached out to steady Gareth. “Zenrus is looking for you. He said something about desserts.”

Gareth squealed and wiggled out of Sorey’s arms. Sorey leaned over slightly so Gareth wouldn’t have as long of a drop to the floor. He didn’t think Gareth noticed with the way that he was sprinting out of the room and towards the front door. Sorey chuckled and stood up straight.

Mikleo was quick to step towards him, Sorey holding out his arms. Mikleo moved easily into his space, Sorey sure that Mikleo was practically purring as he rubbed their scent glands together. Sorey leaned into the touch, holding Mikleo close. “Hello, beloved.”

Mikleo muttered something that could have been his name, but he didn’t seem inclined to pull away. Sorey was more than happy to let him remain there. He was close enough to smell Mikleo’s scent and it relaxed him. He turned his head slightly to kiss the side of Mikleo’s head. He stayed there, only moving when Mikleo shifted to press their foreheads together.

Sorey smiled at him, letting his hands slide down to rest on Mikleo’s hips. “You holding up alright?”

“Better now that you’re here.” Mikleo sighed and leaned into them for a moment before pulling away slightly. “But I’ve been keeping myself busy. You did leave me with an entire catalogue to go through.”

“I’m sorry.”

Mikleo narrowed his eyes. “No you’re not.”

Sorey gave him a lopsided smile. “I was actually looking forward to the catalogue.”

“So it was the ceremony?”

“No.” Sorey laughed. “Although I was afraid you’d let me sleep through it.”

Mikleo arched an eyebrow. “You think so little of me.”

“You? Never.”

Mikleo’s eyebrow remained raised for a moment before he reached up to cup the back of Sorey’s head. “You’re horrible at lying.”

Sorey hummed, intending to turn the sound into a question, but Mikleo didn’t give him the chance. He leaned forward to kiss him, Sorey smiling against his lips.

It was a quick kiss, but Mikleo didn’t pull too far away. He kept his hand in Sorey’s hair, stroking his fingers through Sorey’s hair. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too. It was lonely out there without you.”

Mikleo swayed forward, Sorey expecting to be kissed again when Mikleo gave a small shake of his head. He stepped away slightly, a rueful smile on his face. “If you had woken up earlier, we could have done something about it.”

“Yeah?”

Mikleo gave him a coy smile, his fingers brushing over the back of Sorey’s neck. And then they were gone. Sorey leaned out after him as Mikleo stepped away, sighing with Mikleo’s smile turned teasing. “We could…but _someone_ slept in.”

“Mikleo…”

“I have Great Lord business to attend to.” Mikleo gave him a little wave before ducking out of the door.

Sorey stared after him, hearing Mikleo laugh as he walked down the hall. He huffed, shaking his head before rushing after him.

It was easy to catch up with him, Mikleo probably walking slowly to give him the chance to catch up. Sorey caught Mikleo’s hand in his own, leaning into him as they walked to the front door. “You’re horrible.”

Mikleo bumped up against him, the smile not leaving his face. Sorey didn’t bother to try and coax anything out of him, he was enjoying the closeness too much. It was enough to make him regret the ceremony, because he wanted nothing more than to be surrounded by his family. Then again, he had his duties to look after and they weren’t too strenuous. He wouldn’t have to give the power of purification to any of the Prime Lords and there would be plenty of time to catch up with everyone. The ceremony was just a pause in the many days of celebration.

Sorey turned his head to brush another quick kiss against the side of Mikleo’s head. He could already hear the sound of the celebration, Sorey leaning forward slightly. He could practically feel the excitement, and it was leaking over to him as well. But he didn’t push away from Mikleo, he kept pace with him until they reached the door.

He wasn’t surprised to find it open. There were bound to be a few humans staying with them, and Sorey was sure that Selene’s Shepherd had already claimed a room. There would be other Shepherds and their Squires staying with them, although most of the other humans that came to see the ceremony would be housed in the town below. Still, Sorey was sure that seraphim and humans would be in and out of their house at all hours.

It was good that Gareth had gotten his nap earlier, because it mean that he would be able to keep up with the rest of them. Sorey was sure that all of them would be exhausted by the end of it.

Sorey stepped out onto the porch, smiling as he saw the mix of seraphim and people walking up the street. From what he could see, a large group was heading up to the old shrine, probably to try and find the best spots to watch or to send up prayer. The rest were heading out to the meadow behind the house.

He leaned out of the front porch, just able to see the start of the area set up for the celebrations. He wasn’t surprised to see that things had already started, because it was rare that so many seraphim gathered together. Shepherds weren’t created just every year, and it was a good excuse to catch up with their friends. Sorey was sure that the seraphim would be up late talking.

He perked up when he spotted two familiar heads making their way through the crowd. He felt Mikleo step forward as well, Mikleo the one to wave at them.

It didn’t take much more to get their attention, the two seraphim starting to push their way through the crowds. It took them a while to get through the worst of them, and then the two of them were jogging towards them.

“Papa!”

Sorey let go of Mikleo so he could step down to meet them. He grunted as both Selene and Muse ran into him, Sorey laughing as he hugged them tight. He felt Muse snuggle close to him with a content hum, Sorey shaking his head as he looked over at where Selene was starting to pull away. He leaned over to kiss her cheek, Selene squeezing his arm before moving away. Sorey watched her smile, Selene reaching out a hand. “Dad.”

“Hey, bun.”

She disappeared out of Sorey’s line of sight, Sorey twisting to see Selene and Mikleo hug. They held each other tightly for a moment, Sorey not surprised by the long moment they shared. It had only been the two of them for so long, it wasn’t surprising that they were close.

He didn’t linger over the thought long, Sorey looked back at Muse as she stepped away. Muse sighed and reached back to push her hair out of her face. She kept her hand there, keeping her hair back as she smiled at him. “It’s good to be home.”

Sorey glanced around at the crowd of humans and seraphim, his gaze wandering out to the field where most of them had gathered. A steady buzz of conversation drifted over, Sorey glancing back at Muse. “I’m sure you wished it was quieter.”

Muse shrugged, dropping her hand out of her hair. “I saw it coming. And I spent enough time in quiet libraries to be ready for this.” She glanced around at the rush of people and seraphim. “Besides, it’s not going to last forever. Things usually clear up when the Shepherds leave.”

“Then you’ll be stuck with the rest of us.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad. Just as long as you and Dad keep your hands off each other.”

“I can’t promise anything.”

Muse huffed, but he saw the hints of a smile on her face. He reached out to pull her back in for a hug, squeezing her tightly. “It’s been too quiet around here without you.”

“What a miracle.” The words were muttered against him and then Muse squeezed him tightly. Sorey took that as his cue to let her go again, but he was glad that Muse stuck close. “It’s been loud since Gareth. Why did you guys want another one?”

Sorey shrugged, offering her an apologetic smile. “Mikleo wanted a water seraph.”

Muse pursed her lips, looking around the gathering. Sorey doubted that she would spot her youngest brother in the mix. Both Gareth and Zenrus would disappear in the mass of seraphim and humans, but Sorey wasn’t worried about them. Zenrus was more than capable of taking care of himself. Besides, there were plenty of eyes to watch them. He caught sight of Zaveid and Eizen making their way through the crowd. Sorey couldn’t see the Shepherd that Zaveid would be taking under his wing, but he was sure that the man was somewhere around. If they were there, then his two youngest were well in hand.

Muse gave up looking for her brother a moment later. “Has he come into his element yet?”

“Not quite. But maybe sometime soon.”

“And if he’s not a water seraph will you try for a fifth?”

Sorey tipped his head to the side, his gaze drifting back to where Selene and Mikleo were talking. He considered the question for a moment before shaking his head. “No. I think four is a good number.”

Muse gave him a skeptical look, Sorey resisting the urge to try to argue his point to her. It wasn’t like he and Mikleo didn’t plan these things out. They’d only made that mistake with their first two because he hadn’t even known that it had been possible to get Mikleo pregnant when he was a human. And then Muse hadn’t been expected because, as far as Sorey could tell, no one had expected him to come back. Everything else had been carefully planned out, not that anyone believed them.

He sighed, Muse seeming to take that as him conceding defeat. She grinned at him, puffing up slightly. Her gloating didn’t last long, Muse sighing and relaxing. Her gaze drifted back to the celebration, Sorey watching as a smile crossed her face. “I did miss the noise though.”

“You forget that sometimes?”

Muse nodded, raising one shoulder in a shrug. “A vacation isn’t too bad every once and a while. I heard you took a quick one from the catalogue.” Her smile softened. “I heard it got bad.”

“I’m fine.” From the look that Muse gave him, she didn’t quite believe him. It wasn’t as bad as the way that Gareth had looked at him. Then again, Muse had grown up during the worst of it. That didn’t mean that she didn’t worry. Sorey shook his head. “It wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.”

“You’d better tell the others that. There’s all sorts of rumors starting to spread.”

Sorey sighed, looking over at the gathering. He knew that he would have to go mingle at one point, but he was still feeling a bit groggy. All he wanted was to track down Zenrus and Gareth and hold them all close. It was just barely enough that Selene and Mikleo were somewhere close by his side. He was used to having the time to just recover and reassure himself that everything that was important to him was safe.

He reached out for Mikleo’s hand, finding it quickly. It was a familiar motion to slid his fingers between Mikleo’s, Sorey not having to look back to know that Mikleo was smiling. Mikleo squeezed his hand, stepping back slightly so their shoulders were pressed together. Sorey relaxed at the touch, leaning into Mikleo.

Muse looked at the two of them before shaking her head. She gave them a wave before stepping back. “I’ll see you guys in a bit. There a few people I want to catch up with. Shepherd Gloria said she would bring notes on the ruin she found.”

Sorey perked up at the mention. He was tempted to follow, but he doubted that he would actually get to talk to the Shepherd. There were plenty of humans and seraphim who would want to talk to him as soon as he left the safety of the shadow of the house. After them there would be the Great Lords, especially since they hadn’t seen each other in a long while. Eleanor had been the last one to come through and visit, but that left the other two. Sorey scanned over the crowd, sure that he spotted Wardell in the mix. The Great Lord didn’t see him, because Wardell kept moving. Sorey wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed.

Everyone else would be getting this chance to relax, but he still had duties to carry out. Then again, he was used to those situations.

He jumped when Mikleo kissed his cheek, looking over at him. Mikleo just grinned at him, squeezing his hand. “Just making sure you were still awake.”

“Maybe.” Sorey took a deep breath. “It’s probably too late to go back.”

“Just a bit.” Mikleo tipped his head so it was resting against Sorey’s shoulder. “I didn’t get the chance to take advantage of you being still for more than a few seconds.”

“Later?”

Mikleo huffed out a laugh, Sorey looking down at him. He couldn’t resist the urge to kiss the top of Mikleo’s head, Sorey nuzzling into his hair afterward. Mikleo leaned into him, Sorey listening to him hum.

For a moment, he was sure that Mikleo would agree, but then he was pulling away. Mikleo reached up to adjust his hair ornament with a rueful smile. “Later will be a couple of days.”

Sorey shrugged. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder?”

“I don’t know. I’m already pretty fond.” Mikleo smiled at him before walking off.

Sorey watched him go, feeling the familiar flutter in his stomach that always came with Mikleo. He let himself bask in the feeling for a moment before sighing. He couldn’t hide by the house forever, someone would eventually find him. Sorey rolled his shoulders before following after Mikleo.

* * *

Mikleo picked his way through the groups of humans that had bedded down in the meadow. He heard someone saying that every room in the town was taken, but he hadn’t heard anyone complaining. The weather was nice enough that no one seemed to mind. Most of the townsfolk had already gone back and the Shepherds had already taken up residence in their house. There were a few humans who were still awake, but most of them were wrapped up in blankets and talking to seraphim.

He nodded at Edna as he passed, watching as she gave him a lazy wave, most of her attention on where Zaveid was telling a story. She was settled comfortably against Eizen, apparently listening intently. Mikleo made a mental note to talk to her later because he’d been swept away with other business. If it hadn’t been the Great Lords vying for his attention, then it had been some of the historians that had come to watch the event. If it wasn’t them, then it was one of his children. Mikleo was sure he had spent most of the day chasing after Gareth as he had sprinted through the gathering.

He’d last seen Gareth passed out in Sorey’s arms and being carried back towards the house. Apparently the short nap with Sorey hadn’t been enough to recharge him and the excitement of so many seraphim had been enough to knock him out again. Mikleo wasn’t sure if Gareth would actually sleep enough to recharge or be back up in an hour and running around. He was sure that they’d just have to wait and see. He was just doing one last check to make sure that things were all settled down.

Mikleo scanned over the gathering, nodding when he saw that things were well in hand. Everyone seemed to be settled and all the fires had a fire or water seraph standing by. He doubted that the seraphim would let anything happen, they were more than happy to just sit and talk by the light of the fire.

He was almost tempted to join them, because Gareth had kept him close to home. Mikleo didn’t mind it, but the old urge to wander was coming in strong. It would have to wait until Gareth had come into his element, but then they would be free to go wherever the urge took them, maybe even to the ruin that Shepherd Gloria had been talking about. He just wanted to do something that wasn’t sitting at his desk, staring at books about history, he wanted to see it himself.

Mikleo turned back to the house. He wanted to make his usual round before settling into whatever he would be doing for the night. Mikleo was sure that he would be back to working on the catalogue, but anything to delay that for a little bit longer. He rubbed at the back of his neck, looking up at the porch of the house.

He smiled when he saw Sorey leaning on the railing there, Sorey focused out on the gathering. Whatever had caught Sorey’s attention must have been interesting because he didn’t look down.

Mikleo came around to the front of the house, stepping up onto the porch. He drifted over to Sorey, coming to lean on the railing beside him. Even then it took a moment for Sorey to turn and look at him, but it was worth it for the soft smile he got.

Sorey reached out, taking Mikleo’s hand in his own to kiss Mikleo’s knuckles. “Hey, beloved.”

“Hey yourself.” Mikleo moved closer, sighing when Sorey let go of his hand. It was worth it to have Sorey settle an arm around his waist. Mikleo leaned against Sorey, watching his expression. “Gareth?”

“Out like a light with Zenrus. And the Shepherds are all asleep as well. Everything is quiet.”

“And you’re out here.” Mikleo nuzzled into Sorey’s neck, taking a deep breath. He shifted until he found a comfortable spot, shivering as Sorey started to stroke his fingers up and down Mikleo’s waist. Usually there was a promise with that motion, but Sorey was more distracted than anything.

Mikleo frowned and reached down to rest his hand over Sorey’s. “Something is bothering you?”

Sorey sighed and shook his head. “Not really. I’m just watching.”

Mikleo turned his attention to the parts of the gathering that he could see. He watched as a human sat up, one of the seraphim sitting close to them quick to reach back and tuck them back in. The seraph didn’t stop their conversation, not even when the human dragged themselves over to use the seraph’s lap as a pillow. It was a common enough sight, seraphim and humans together, and that in itself was shocking. It hadn’t been like that seven hundred years ago, and it was shocking how much he had adjusted.

He hummed, feeling Sorey squeeze his waist. “You should go down there.”

“I should.” Sorey didn’t move, he just tugged Mikleo a bit closer.

Mikleo didn’t protest, glad for the chance to be pressed up against Sorey. It had been days since he had seen him last, and he would have to wait longer with all of the seraphim and humans around. It felt like there was always someone vying for their attention, and Mikleo couldn’t blame them for it. It was almost enough for Mikleo to consider dragging Sorey off to steal some more time with him, but he wasn’t a teenager anymore. He had matured since those days back in Pendrago. He had some self-control.

He looked out over the flickering fires, his fingers tightening over Sorey’s. “So, why don’t you?”

“I can’t see it all from there.” Sorey leaned forward a bit before he sighed. “It sounds silly when I say it like that.”

“No.” Mikleo shook his head, his attention sliding from Sorey over to the gathering. He smiled as he watched the seraphim. He had gotten used to the way things were, although it was never enough to make him forget what had happened completely. He was sure that none of the seraphim would forget either.

He hummed, relaxing into Sorey. “It doesn’t sound silly at all. We worked hard to get to this point.”

He heard Sorey laugh, pushing away from him slightly to see his face. He hadn’t heard Sorey laugh like that in a long time. Mikleo almost expected to see a self-deprecating smile on Sorey’s face. He was relieved when it wasn’t there, because he wasn’t ready to see that kind of expression on Sorey’s face again.

Sorey was silent for a moment longer before shaking his head. “You say we like I was part of it. I didn’t do anything, it was everyone else. Alisha and Sergei were the ones who built the kingdoms back up. Rose and Boris started breaking down the malevolence. And you…you started to help the humans and the seraphim come together. Compared to that, I did nothing.”

Mikleo frowned, twisting around to be able to look at him. He glared at Sorey, only holding it for a while before he allowed his expression to soften. He sighed and reached out to brush his fingers across Sorey’s cheek. “You cared, and that was enough.”

“But-”

“You cared when no one else did. If it hadn’t been for you, it would have been a hard slog for the rest of them. If nothing else, you came for me, and I appreciate that more than I can say.”

Sorey sighed, the serious look on his face fading away as he nuzzled into Mikleo’s hand. Mikleo uncurled his fingers so Sorey could press a kiss into his palm. Mikleo smiled, running his thumb over Sorey’s cheek. “You did more than you think. If you didn’t believe me, go read the history books. If anyone knows anything, it’s them.”

Sorey shook his head. He took a step forward, Mikleo letting himself get backed up into the railing. Sorey planted one hand on the railing, the other going to cup the back of his head. Mikleo tipped his head back, offering Sorey his neck just to see what Sorey would do. He could tell Sorey was tempted by the way that Sorey leaned in, but Sorey didn’t move further. Mikleo watched his gaze flick up to the gathering one last time before it firmly settled on him.

Now he looked more like himself and Mikleo was glad for that. Sorey didn’t deserve to keep himself separate himself from everyone, not after everything he had done for them and not after everything that he was still doing. Besides, Sorey wasn’t himself without his smile.

Mikleo slid his hand from Sorey’s cheek to the back of his head, settling it there. “Are you going to keep moping?”

“I don’t think you’d let me.”

“No. This is a celebration and you’re a Great Lord. We’re supposed to smile at these things.” Mikleo shifted his hand slightly, putting pressure on the back of Sorey’s head to get him to move closer. He shivered as Sorey leaned more against him. It was comforting to have Sorey this close, the little bits he had gotten through the day hadn’t been enough. Mikleo curled his fingers into Sorey’s hair. “Tomorrow you’ll watch and say something fittingly poignant as two Shepherds take their oaths. And then everyone will celebrate and drink far too much. And you can watch all of it knowing that you helped create this.”

Sorey smiled, leaning forward a bit more so his lips were just barely hovering over Mikleo’s. “And then what?”

“Then we finish that catalogue.”

Sorey laughed, but he didn’t pull away from him. “Keep talking.”

“I left you all the pottery shards.”

“Sweet poetry.”

Mikleo went to laugh, not surprised when Sorey leaned into kiss him. Mikleo just laughed into the kiss, tightening his hold on Sorey as he pulled him closer. The catalogue could wait, as could the conversations around the fire, for at least a little while longer. He had all night and the next day to go around and talk to them. Everything he wanted was in the warmth of Sorey’s body and the soft press of Sorey’s lips against his.

END

**Author's Note:**

> Sorey and Mikleo end up having a total of four kids, whose elements end up as follows: Selene – earth, Muse – void (like Symmone’s powers), Zenrus – lightning, Gareth – water. The age gap down the line is 700 years, 50 years, 9 years. Selene and Muse are totally the brainchildren of Nami who has made beautiful drawings of them. Zenrus and Gareth are literally based on the kids from Tales of Zestiria the X finale because their designs were too perfect not to use.
> 
> This is also the last side story for Kingmaker for the forseeable future. Thank you for sticking with it and supporting it and reading it. You guys are the best!


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